The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve Corporation, will be the 17th inductee into the AIAS Hall of Fame, and will be taking the 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit stage as its Thursday conference keynote. Gabe’s leadership in founding and managing Valve, creator of Source TM game engine, Steam, and award winning game franchises like Half-Life ® , Counter Strike TM , Left 4 Dead TM , Portal TM , and Team Fortress TM have done much to push the interactive entertainment industry forward.

The AIAS Hall of Fame honor is bestowed on game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. The 2013 Hall of Fame Award will be presented to Gabe by Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps, who serves on the AIAS board of directors and the AIAS awards committee, at the 16th D.I.C.E. Awards on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas. Past AIAS Hall of Fame recipients include: Tim Sweeney (2012), Dr. Greg Zeschuk (2011), Dr. Ray Muzyka (2011), Mark Cerny (2010), and Bruce Shelley (2009).

I'm starting to get a sense for why overwhelmingly successful people often become philanthropists. Once something exactly like this becomes so expected that it's almost ordinary or unremarkable for the person, the better part of their soul must take over and try to elevate other people so misery isn't quite so common for them.

We must not forget John Carmack whom was inducted in 2001. I just felt it was important to point out, as he was/is the pioneer of the 3D FPS, and who very openly shared his knowledge and technology to enable the 3D FPS technology/visuals to expand into what it is today.